Current status of the swine leukocyte antigen complex

As immunologists expand their knowledge of the complex factors that regulate immune responses it has become increasingly apparent that genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a central role in the processing and presentation of foreign and self antigens. This review is intended to update the reader on the current knowledge of the swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) complex: its genomic structure, the molecular biologic and monoclonal antibody (mAb) probes available for analysis of SLA gene expression, and the role of SLA genes in regulating disease and immune responses. Because of length restrictions, only highlights can be presented.